Zoom Urbanismo renovated the flat for a young couple, moving partitions to create an open-plan kitchen, living room and dining area with an original parquet floor and an exposed brick wall.

"The big windows, high ceiling and the good quality of the wooden floor showed that the apartment had potential," said the architects, "but the closed spaces, divided by the walls, had poor lighting and ventilation, and deteriorated wall coverings."

Bright yellow cupboards unite the various spaces and are dotted with holes that mimic star constellations. These holes can also be used as handles.

Thick concrete pillars frame the walls and high ceilings in the dining area and are lined with bookshelves on one side.

Sliding glass doors lead out from the living room to a terrace with a view over the city.

A corridor leads back towards two bedrooms, bathrooms, and a laundry room. These spaces also include perforated cupboards, but feature wooden and white-painted surfaces rather than yellow.

In the neighbourhood of Perdizes, in São Paulo, a young couple (an executive and a graphic designer) purchased the top apartment in a four-storey charming and old building.

The big windows, the high ceiling and the good quality of the wooden floor (all common in old constructions) showed that the apartment had potential, but the closed spaces, divided by the walls, had poor lighting and ventilation and deteriorated wall coverings.

The internal distribution of the apartment was reorganised in order to optimise and integrate the spaces. The social area became wide and articulated with the kitchen and the back balcony, which also contains the laundry.

Floor plan - click for larger image

A big shelf/cabinet/stand, with a dynamic set of full and empty spaces, links the living room with the kitchen.

Section A - click for larger image

The shelves and cabinets have different heights, so that many objects could be stored and shown. The cabinet doors have small holes that, combined, form the geometry of constellations. The holes are also handles for the cabinets.

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